In the Midst of Battle
by PerfectlyClearly
Summary: When four dragons begin to doubt the war, they run away and find themselves together. They must learn to trust each other, escape the queens... You get the point. But, there is something not quite right about the story... Come read! Updated to the best of my abilities.
1. Chapter 1:Dawn

**Hey guys! Here is a Wings Of Fire story. It takes place about 3-4 years before the prophecy was created. The main characters are my OCs. And a disclaimer: I don't own WoF, I only own my OCs.**

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Dawn's P.O.V

Another day, another battle. Eight sib troops, including mine, and a two wings of Skywings were headed off as reinforcements for a rather large group of Sandwings and Icewings that had ambushed two Mudwing patrols.I heard the sounds of battle, coming from the right, so I steered my sibs to the other troops and the Skywings followed.

Their commander approached me in midair, saying,"How are you planning to attack?" She tipped her head to the distant dragons fighting. "How about you take your Skywings to left side, and I'll steer the Mudwings to the riverbank, head on." I decided. I was the Bigwings of my siblings, and the battle strategizer. She nodded and signalled to her dragons. "Yes, Commander Carmine", a scarred orange one replied. I called to the other Bigwings. "We're attacking from the south, the Skywings, southeast. We need one troop to help the injured patrol." Cinder's troop, with two fire-proof soldiers and one medic volunteered. "Ok, let's go!" My brother Crocodile cried, as he dove down, and we all followed

Cinder and her siblings pulled the injured troops away, and we attacked. There were four wings of dragons, two Icewings, two Sandwings. Sort of unusual. After a while, it seemed we were winning. I found myself tangling with an Icewing, and losing. His cold body made me unable to breathe fire, and I clawed aimlessly, with little success. He reared back his head to freeze me, but suddenly Carmine dove in, and brought him down. He writhed in pain, blue blood spurting from the wounds. I thanked her breathlessly, and she nodded and flashed a small smile. I'd never been big on killing, preferring to stick to defence. Carmine looked almost comfortable doing it though. We were doing this for a good cause, right? All hail Queen Burn? I shook off my doubts as I flew towards a another dragon.

The battle was nearing a close, and the ground was littered with burned, clawed, poisoned, and frostbitten bodies. It almost made me sick. Blaze's forces seemed to be on the verge of retreat, but both sides had suffered losses.

To my left, I caught sight of a Sandwing and a Mudwing battling. The Sandwing had his. barb poised above the Mudwing's head, ready to strike. With a flash of horror I realized the Mudwing was Crocodile! My Bigwing instinct kicked in and I barrelled into the Sandwing, snarling," _No one hurts my siblings. Ever."_ He met my eyes, and a strange look came over them. He slipped out of my grip, and flew away. Away from the battle, towards the mountains. A larger Sandwing called out," Dusk! Get back here now!", but Dusk flew on. Confused, I nudged Crocodile, and we flew back to the kingdom. The battle was over. For now.

I made the hardest decision of my life that night. I left. Leaving a hasty note, explaining my reasons, I made Croc the Bigwings and flew away, in the direction of Dusk. It hurt so much to leave my siblings, but I couldn't fight anymore.

 **There you go. Next chapter is coming soon, R and R please! We will see Carmine 's POV next.**

 **Wishing you a great day,**

 **Clearly**


	2. Chapter 2:Carmine

**Hope this chapter will cover any questions you may have.I still don't own anything but my OCs. Now let's get to the story before Carmine tackles me! She really wants to go.**

 **Carmine's POV**

 **(Pre Battle)**

"Woo-HOO!" I smiled and laughed,diving down from a mountain peak. I tucked my wings in and sped up. This is what flying feels like.

A loud voice disrupted my early morning flight. "Carmine, Queen Scarlet has just notified me that a scuffle with Blaze's forces is happening near our borders. She wants you to bring your dragons and join the Mudwings. I've rounded them up, and we're all ready." I sighed inwardly. _**Another** battle_? _Not that I am disloyal, but **really?** _ "Thanks Torch" I said as I flew beside the war-scarred dragon. My grumpy captain had served beside me for 4 years. Four years we'd been fighting this war, and before I was old enough to fight, it had already lasted 12 years.

We landed in front of my two wings of dragons. I was one of the youngest commanders, and I'd worked hard. " Ok, let's go claw some dragons!" Torch growled, and we flew off, towards the Mud Kingdom.

 **(During Battle)**

We joined the eight sib troops and planned our attack. " You take your Skywings over there, and we'll attack head on." One of the Bigwings, named Dawn, decided. It was a solid plan. I signalled my soldiers, and we headed to the southeast ,towards the sound of dragons.

When the Mudwings attacked, we dove in, and talon met talon. I couldn't quite piece together why Blaze would want to attack this way, at this particular spot, a well patroled one at that. I pushed away those thoughts for later, and focused on the rather large Sandwing clawing at me.

Every time I killed a dragon, I felt sick. But I couldn't hesitate or squirm. I had a job. Fight for Scarlet, fight for Queen Burn. I had to. Or else face a fate like my parents.

After the Sand-scum was taken care of, I looked for my soliders. Torch was leading a small group against some Icewings. Not too many casualties, but we seemed to have the upper talon. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Dawn, fighting a big Icewing. She was losing, and the Icewing was rearing his head back to freeze her. I don't know why I saved her, but I felt a need to. After the opponent was down, she thanked me. "You're welcome.." I wasn't very friendly, except to Torch. But Dawn was different. She felt like Torch. A friend.

I'd zoned out, letting my guard down. Another Icewing had attacked me, pouncing on my back. His teeth snapped at my neck and I shook him off. We faced each other in the air, growling. "Puny Icewing. Your glittering scales will soon be tarnished with your blood." I snarled and lunged, clawing a long scratch. He bit my shoulder, and I winced in pain. "Why did you side with Burn? Why the queen that will only cost this land more lives, more pain." He stopped fighting, his question hanging in the air. Why did I? Why did anyone fight this war. I turned and fled, realizing that every dragon I killed ripped lives apart. I fled past Torch, past everyone, all the way past the battle. I wasn't a killer.

He followed me, chasing me through trees until I stopped and asked, "What in three moons do you want!? Why are you following me and asking questions and-UGHH!" I thought about what I'd done. Betrayed my tribe, my soldiers, and this stupid dragon was getting on my nerves. I hissed at the Icewing and shot up, above the trees. I could see the battlefield. It was empty. Oh what had I done?

The Icewing called up to me. "So, you don't want to fight anymore? Cause that's why I'm here, uh, you seemed kind of tired of fighting and I don't want to either, except now we're like outlaws..." He trailed off. What a mess.

I climbed down the trees, and looked at the Icewing. Then a big Sandwing crashed through the trees. _Three moons._

 **Aha! Cliffhanger! In the next chapter we'll see more reasons why the dragons ran away, and hopefully it will clear up any confusion you have. Please review!**

 **Love, Clearly**


	3. Chapter 3: Dawn and Dusk

**Hey, I know there is probably some confusion, just bear with me and you'll see.**

 **(Dawn's POV)**

I flew, towards the mountains, tears wetting my snout. Every wing beat ripped my heart, and I wondered, _what had I done?_ I'd gone and made a mess. I also wondered if I would run into Dusk. I think he realized the same thing. This war isn't worth it. But did running away help? _I'd left behind everything_. My siblings. _Would they be okay?_

Off in the trees, near the base of the mountains I saw a faint glow. Fire. I could also hear faint voices. I tucked my wings in and dove down.

I landed in front of three dragons. Commander Carmine, Dusk, and a unfamiliar Icewing. "Dawn?" Carmine asked and I nodded. "Why did you leave your troops? Torch looked pretty sad when we left the battle." She cringed, whispering "Oh moons, I didn't think this through. None of us did." We sat around the fire, until Dusk spoke up. " Well, we're here because we can't kill anymore. We're here because this war is pointless. So if we're going to escape from reality, then we best get to know each other, and move out of the warring kingdoms." He had a point.

"I'll go first!" Piped up the Icewing," I'm Wolf. I fought in the war for 4 years, never doubting. Until today, when I fought her." He pointed a Carmine and continued," I think that we made the right choice, and...yeah" he sighed. "I'm Carmine. I was a commander, and a good one at that, but now I realize we're ruining lives, so let's just run away with no plan WHATSOEVER!" She huffed.

I looked around at everyone, they were tired, angry, and confused. _If these guys are to be my new 'siblings' I'd better take charge._ "I'm Dawn. But I think introductions are for later. We need to move. I was high ranking, and if any of you are too, there's gonna be some searching. So let's move, while we have the cover of night."

Wolf put out the fire, and we took off. Towards the Rain Kingdom. Dusk flew beside me. "So what's your plan?" He asked. "Fly into neutral territory, sort out our problems... Hide forever?" My voice cracked and my eyes began to blur. "Hey, no need for tears" he said softly, and I snorted. " We just left everything, with no plan, no trust in each other, no anything." I shook my head and flew faster, up to Carmine.

But I heard him say," I trust you."

 **(Dusk's POV)**

Run off with a bunch of dragons, with no plan? Sounds like something I would do. The night was slowly turning to day, the sun just peeking at Pyhirra. Dawn. My thoughts turned back to her, wondering why she was so torn about leaving. Then I remembered. Mudwings live with their siblings, and have a strong bond. _That's why she tackled me yesterday!_ She was defending her brother. That's also when I realized, _these dragons fighting aren't just mindless minions of the Sandwing queens, they have lives to live_. And every time I killed I was ripping them apart.

I trusted Dawn, because when she looked at me, she felt the same thing. She just wanted to protect her own, and get them out of this war. She didn't want to kill me.

I put on a burst of speed, catching up to the rest of them. "Where are we headed?" Wolf asked. He seemed like a dragonet, but he was the same age as all of us. "We originally thought rainforest, but now we're thinking Jade Mountain." Dawn confirmed. Far off in the distance, I saw it.

We landed on a nice, flat area. Carmine and Dawn started making camp, so I decided to go hunting with Wolf. Maybe I could get to know him.

We found a small woods a few minutes away. I set off to the deepest part, whereas he stayed in the open. When we met back up, I had two rabbits, and he had four fish. "Found a river" he shrugged. _A river_! "Wolf, that's great. A river means food _**and**_ water!" I smiled, feeling optimistic for the first time in days. We returned to the camp, which had been set up nicely. Some large flat stones, arranged in a circle around a fire-pit, and a rocky ledge higher up on the mountain provided shelter in bad weather.

"Looks pretty good!" I complimented, then held out our catch. "We found a river too". Carmine smiled, and Dawn beamed. "We may actually make it!" She said, and I felt something, deep in my stomach. Like...butterflies, dancing? Huh. I pushed them aside for later, and said, "Who's hungry!?" We roasted the rabbits on a fire, and saved the fish for later, by keeping them in wet leaves.

The girls went off to secure the area, check for search parties, ect. So I was alone with Wolt again. "So.. Let's get to know each other." I suggested, basking in the sun on a rock bed. "Well, I was a troubled dragonet. My parents were killed when I was four, leaving me to fend for myself. I climbed up the ranks to the middle of the Second Circle, and stayed there until my seventh hatching day. I was put in the war, and it sort of scarred me, literally and mentally." He gestured to a long blue scar on his flank. "Every time an Icewing fell, I saw my parents being snapped up by leopard seals." He trailed off, then continued," But now I'm here, and we will make it" I found I had a new respect for him. "What about you Dusk?" He tilted his head, curious. I sighed...

 **Well, there's two POVs. And a cliffhanger. Does Dusk have feelings for Dawn? And are the feelings returned? What did Carmine and Dawn see on their scouting mission? What is Dusk's past?**

 **All those will be answered next chapter. Thanks to Fatespeaker for reviewing, the chapters will be getting longer.**

 **\- Wishing you strong winds, Clearly**


	4. Chapter 4: Carmine and Dusk

**Hey! This Chapter goes back to Carmine. And Dusk. But don't worry, a Wolf POV is next**

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 **Carmine's POV**

After a meal of scrawny rabbits, Dawn and I set off to patrol the area. We wanted to make sure that there were no search parties on our tails. We flew in circles, and after a while of seeing nothing, we decided to stop. We landed on a nice rocky ledge, high up, so we could still stay on watch.

 **"** So, what should we do? I asked, and Dawn flared her wings, shrugging. " We could go back to camp?" She suggested, but I shook my head. "I can't stand that Icewing, plus they could probably use some brotherly bonding time. Speaking of which..." Dawn looked down, and I regretted saying that. But we had to get to trust each other, or we'd end up back in the war, or worse, prisoners of our own tribes. She drew her tail in close.

"I had six other siblings. We were some of the best, and therefore, we fought the most. I'd always had a little doubt, but I convinced myself I was fighting for the best queen. But really, the only reason I didn't run away at first was because of my siblings. I was their Bigwings. It was so hard to leave them.. _'sniff'" . Oh Dawn,_ I thought, as I twined my tail around hers. _I left behind my 'family' too._ Torch.

She smiled sadly, but then her eyes widened. "Oh no. Look." She pointed to hazy smoke lines, and some faint orange and red and brown shapes. "Three moons! It's a search party!" We shot off, and landed back in the camp. "Quick! Make sure everything that shows we were here is hidden." Dawn commanded, as she buried the fire-pit. Soon the camp looked natural, and we hurried to the forest.

Not a moment too soon. The search party landed in our camp, and began to prowl around. In the forest, we split up, hoping to have a better chance of survival . Dawn and Dusk went to the left, Wolf and I to the right.

We were big, and we stood out against the greens and browns. So we smeared dirt on ourselves, then hid in a large bush. But we were squashed against each other. His neck was under mine, and my foot was on his tail. Talk about awkward.

Then the search dragons burst through the trees, and we instinctively moved closer, and now my wing was around him. It felt weird, being this close to a dragon you've been told to kill on the spot. But it felt strangely nice, like I did when Torch looked after me, like a big brother, which he kind of was.

"Spread out and cover more ground. If you find a Mudwing or a Skywing, bring them to me. If you find an Icewing or Sandwing, kill 'em." It was Torch speaking. "Yes Commander Torch." A solider, who I knew by the name of Stalactite responded. _So Torch is commander now. I'm glad. He deserves it. But they're looking for us._

Wolf began to shake, uncontrollably. I wrapped my wing tighter around him. I told myself it was because we didn't need any Mudwings or Skywing finding us. But was it really the reason? Or did I feel something for the energetic, battle-scarred Icewing?

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 **Dusk's POV**

We split up when we got to the forest. Dawn and I headed to the river area, where, thankfully there was a sandy riverside. Dawn buried herself in the muddy silt, while I burrowed into the sand and only peeked my nostrils out. Mudwings could hold their breath for up to an hour, so we were good.

About ten minutes had passed, and still no search parties. But then some Mudwings landed right beside me. "Cinder, what do we do if we find Dawn?" A little voice asked, and another replied," Unfortunately Frog, we'll take her back to Queen Burn and Queen Moorhen." There was a shuffling of feet, and Frog's voice came again. "She might be hiding in the river, we should check I guess." _Why was his voice sounding so sad?_

Then I realized why. They had to take her to Burn for questioning! Oh no, this was not good. I couldn't let her be tortured by the ruthless Sandwing princess.

Shifting slightly, I let my warm scales heat up the sand beneath them. I estimated five Mudwings in the search party, so after the sand was heated, I burst up and breathed an inferno of fire. In the smoke and heat, the Mudwings were confused. I nicked two with my barb, not enough to kill, just enough to make them too weak to fight. Then, before the smoke cleared, I dove back into the sand.

With two of their dragons down, the search party left, and Dawn came up. "I saw what you did. Why did you risk your own life for me? You barely even know me!" She seemed a little annoyed, so I explained. "I did it because I couldn't bear to see you die, Dawn."

She seemed surprised, and she put her talons on mine. "Thank you, for saving me Dusk." She looked into my obsidian eyes, and the she stood up straight. "We should probably go and see if Carmine and Wolf are okay." I nodded.

Another reason, maybe one I would tell her later, was that I saved her because I love her. But does she love me?

We walked back to the forest, and met a strange sight.

 **I like this one! What did they see? What does Dawn feel for Dusk? Will they have to move their camp? Thanks for reading and reviewing, it helps me write!**

 **Clearly**


	5. Chapter 5:Wolf and Carmine

**This chapter will be longer, I promise at least one thousand words. Please review, it would mean a lot, and PM me with suggestions if you have any!**

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 **Wolf's POV**

"If you find any Icewings or Sandwings, kill 'em" as the Skywing spoke, my body began to shake, as images of my parent's death flashed through my head. _No, no, no, stop it Wolf, don't think about it._ But I was already replaying the horrible scene in my head. Before it could intensify, though, Carmine squeezed me with her wing. I let my eyes close, feeling comforted for the first time in ages.

My jitters stopped, and the Skywings passed us, after deeming the area clear. I breathed out a small sigh of relief. We escaped today. Through the tangle of legs and tails, I looked a Carmine. She smiled at me, relived, but her eyes were pained. And it wasn't the fact my foot was on her tail. Something about the Skywing soldiers. _Maybe she knew them? After all, she was a commander._

We waited a few more minutes, just to make sure it was safe, then we rose from the bushes. Actually, we tumbled. We were still a tangled mess, and our snouts were inches apart. I blushed hard, and tried to untangle myself.

"How 'bout you move your-" "No, lift your wing ov-" "Wait, if I move my l-" We tried to move, but just ended up getting even more tangled. Then the situation got even more awkward.

Dawn and Dusk froze on the spot. "Umm, do you need some help, guys?" Dawn slowly walked towards us. Carmine sighed. "Well...yeah, we do" Using her strong forearms, Dawn worked to untangle our wings, tails and legs.

"Ok, then! Let's go check on the camp..." Carmine jumped up, flustered. She seemed nervous around me. Dusk walked beside me as we headed back to the camp. "I think she likes you!" He whispered, nudging me. "Naw...she wouldn't" I brushed him off, but my mind was going haywire.

 _She's the most perfect dragon. Tough, selfless, supportive...she couldn't fall for me, the scarred loner._

But I sure as heck had fallen for her.

Too wrapped up in my thoughts, I wasn't paying attention, and bumped into Dawn. "Shh! The search party is at our camp! We'll have to find somewhere else." I peered over her shoulder. She was right. The Skywings wand Mudwings had uncovered our fire-pit, and the fish.

"Moons!" Dusk whispered, "I forgot to hide the fish!" "It's okay, Dusk, no sense in grabbing it now" replied Carmine. " We should probably get going, it'll be night soon." Dawn was eager to move along. "But wouldn't it be better if we flew under the cover of night?" I asked.

Dawn shook her head. "We can't wait. It's too dangerous. We'll fly in a different direction, away from them". She and Dusk started to make their way back through the forest, but Carmine stayed, gazing at a scarred orange Skywing. "Carmine. We gotta leave!" She looked down, and I thought I saw a tear glistening on her scales. "Goodbye Torch" she whispered. She and I walked to the other two, and we took off into the sky.

As we flew, high in the cloud cover, I asked Carmine about this Torch character. Turns out he was her closest friend. "After my parents died, in the arena, Torch took me in. He was two years older than me, and he was like a brother. I would give my life for him, but now we're running away." She closed her eyes, and swooped away.

I wanted so desperately to comfort her, like she did to me, but I had to let her come to terms with herself, and her choices first. It would take time, but I'd be there for her. We'd all be there for each other.

Later that evening, Dusk spotted a cave. I silently cheered. _A nice sleeping place, sheltered from the elements._ None of us had slept since the battle, and though we didn't seem like it, everyone was exhausted. We settled down in the cave. Drowsiness took over, and soon we were all sleeping soundly. Peace at last.

In the morning I awoke to the sounds of sizzling. Luckily, we had camped near a river again, and Dawn had caught some fish. With full bellies and refreshed minds, we could sit down and talk about what needed to be done.

First we talked about the search parties. Would they continue to come after us? Would they stop? Who knew. Dawn sketched out a rough map in a piece of bark, showing Pyhrria, as well a the borders and where our last camp was. Hanging the map on the cave wall, we set off to gather supplies and such. We needed sustainability if we were planning to stay here.

Dusk spruced up the cave, while Dawn gathered food, and Carmine made some defences. I was left to patrol the area. I soared happily, glad that we had a sound plan going. Stay away from the queens, survive with each other. It wasn't heroic or anything but we were just dragons, wanting the slaughtering to end.

But we did need something else. We couldn't just live away from civilization forever. And we couldn't hide forever either. Soon we'd have to face the music. And it might not be pretty.

 **Carmine's POV**

I was a little shaken after the run-in with the search parties, as well as Wolf.

My feelings were conflicting. On one talon, I think I might like him. Even though I had only known him for two days, I felt like dancing every time I saw him. On the other talon, I was still figuring out what to do. It was super messed up, running away with random dragons, banding together for survival, escaping from your own tribe. So I couldn't quite face my feelings yet. Plus we still had to get to really know each other.

But we were getting there, having found a decent place to stay, and sustaining ourselves. We had a good, if not scary start. But of course all good things must come to an end. Like when Wolf came diving down, screaming, "THEY'RE HERE!"

Woo hoo. We were being hunted. Again. What a great day

 **Aha! Sorry, Im so mean, giving you all these cliffs. ;) Thanks for R and Ring, especially Fatespeaker and MCZ! Next we will find out Dusk's past and more**

 **Stay awesome-Clearly**


	6. Chapter 6: Wolf and Dusk

**And another chapter! Keep reviewing and thanks for reading. If you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me, I'm open to anything. Also, in case y'all were wondering, the war has lasted 16 years, and the dragons are 10. Now, to continue with the story!**

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 **Wolf's POV**

 _Not again! This is bad, bad, bad ._ While circling the sky, I spotted more search parties. Quickly, I dove down. "THEYRE HERE, RUN!" I shouted as I landed next to a startled Carmine. She was sharpening flint into spears for defence. "Not again!" She cried.

"They're coming too quick, we won't be able to hide or run." I panted, as Dawn and Dusk ran over. "We'll have to defend ourselves." Carmine decided grimly, and gathered up some spears. Dawn shook her head. "Oh, this is why we left! To avoid this! "

Dusk put a wing around her, just for a moment. "We can't keep outrunning them, we have to defend ourselves" At that, the search party landed. "YOU!" A large Mudwing shouted, "Queens Blaze and Burn have demanded that you all be taken to Scarlet's arena" He held up an official-looking scroll.

"We don't have to listen to them!" Dusk spat, and I knew why. His brother, Saguaro, was slaughtered in the area, to grant time for Dusk to escape. He hated Scarlet, and Burn. Burn killed his parents. Personally. So, Dusk wouldn't go to the Sky Kingdom, willingly. But the Mudwing and his troops outnumbered us by far, and we had no choice but to go.

We arrived at the border of the Sky Kingdom, and an escort of dragons awaited us. We were led to a cell. Luckily, the guard let us stay together. Carmine looked distraught, so I sat beside her in the confined space. Four dragons were kind of squishy in the stone cell. "I never thought I'd be a prisoner of my own tribe..." She buried her face in her talons, and I heard the muffled sounds of sobs.

"Hey, hey, we'll get outta here, I know we will." She looked at me, infuriated. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!" She roared and we all looked at her, startled. "WE ARE IN THE ARENA, WHERE EVERYONE DIES RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES. YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT WHAT IVE ENDURED THERE, YOU PERFECT, SNOBBY, INFURIATING ICEWING!

I looked at her with shocked eyes. " I'm not perfect. My parents were killed,before my eyes when I was young, and I fought for years in this war, seeing endless slaughter every single day. It scarred me. To the point of anxiety whenever someone talks about mass violence. I'm sorry if you've..seen your loved ones pass.." She looked back at me, fury turning to sorrow.

"I apologize... I didn't know..I shouldn't have snapped. My parents were killed, fighting each other in the arena, for Scarlet's sick pleasure. I was forced to watch, to 'see what happens to disobedient dragons.' And you know the rest, Torch, commander, blah blah blah."

 _Oh, I didn't know what happened to her parents, that's horrible. But we will find a way out of here, and a way to live freely._ I decided on that as Dawn placed a claw on her shoulder, and I subtly twined my tail around hers. "Thanks guys. We've all been through a lot, and fighting will get us nowhere." Dusk had been unmoving the whole time, staring ar something on the wall. He looked pained, and I knew he was reminiscing about his brother. We had all suffered, and that would bring us together.

But hopefully fast, because we would soon have to face the arena.

 **Dusk's POV**

After they took us from the new camp, we were transferred to the Sky Kingdom. I had been there once before, with my deceased brother, Saguaro. Four years ago. We had been flying back from my very first battle, when we were ambushed by Skywings.

We were taken here, to this very cell. I was so scared, but Saguaro comforted me, promising a way out. He fulfilled it, but it cost him his life. All through Carmine's outburst, I'd sat in my corner, remembering my last moments with him.

Dawn squeezed over, as the cell was quite full with four dragons. She tentatively put her tail on mine. "Are you okay? Talk to me Dusk, I know something is bothering you."

"My brother was killed here. He sacrificed his life for my escape."I blankly stated, and she hugged me. "I'm so sorry..." I relaxed, feeling the calm and peace before the storm. But I knew how we could all weather it together. "It's okay, I know how we can get out of here. Saguaro had a great idea, and now we can use his plan to escape."

"Ok, stage one, commence!" I hissed as the guard, a dim-ish Skywing named Ignite, came back from break. "Ohh, I can't bear it anymore!" Dawn fake-pleaded, falling on her hind-legs and begging. "Take me to the arena, I must pay for my crimes!"

She was a pretty convincing actor, and Ignite took the bait. "Surely the Queens will appreciate at early start" he muttered, as he unlocked the door, dragged Dawn out, and re-locked it. Dawn winked at us and tossed us the keys. _Yes! Stage one completed. I just hope she takes care of herself, I couldn't live with myself if she died like Saguaro._

As she turned the corner, I looked at Wolf and Carmine. We would escape, and Saguaro's death would be avenged. Commence stage two. Rescue and escape. We unlocked the door, and snuck down the hall. Time to see what this was all about.

And then maybe we could finally escape the war altogether.

Just maybe... We could start again...

 **So. How'd you like this one? Review and tell me! Will our gang be able to escape the arena? Or will they succumb to Scarlet's disturbing game? Also, sorry about the slow burn with the lovey dovey stuff, but that's for later. They have still only know each other for two days, and though they may here feelings, it's still kinda early.**

 **See you soon, Clearly.**

 **p.S soon I'll have longer chapters!**


	7. Chapter 7: The okayish one with Carmine

**And now we get a nice, exciting chapter where our rag-tag gang must escape the clutches of the the war. Stage two COMMENCE!**

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 **Carmine's POV**

Dusk had come up with a rather genius plan, and so far, it was working. He seemed so on end, though, and I wondered if he'd been here before. After Dawn had successfully completed Stage One, we unlocked our cell and crept down the hall.

Of course there had to be guards. Always. "Camel spit!" Dusk muttered, and Wolf nodded. "How do we get past them?" He queried. Dusk shook his head. "We'd have to knock them out. I did it once before, I'll have to do it again." He breathed a large amount of smoke, and following him, I did too. Smoke clouded the air.

The guards were disoriented, and Wolf took the opportunity to sneakily trip them with his tail, and clunk them on the head with a closed claw. He winced as they hit the ground. I shot him a reassuring glance, and we quickly continued down the hall, Dusk leading the way to the dreaded arena.

We avoided anymore confrontations, and made it to the arena. Of course, Scarlet was there, as well as Burn and Moorhen. _Huh. I didn't expect this to be such a big deal._ There was also two Sandwing and Icewing ambassadors, who looked very nervous. _That's even stranger. Maybe it's to set an example. Like my parents...no Carmine, don't think about that._

My past wasn't the greatest.

We had snuck in behind the arena, and were standing behind some posts. Scarlet began a long speech about 'thrilling' and 'traitors', 'battle' 'thrilling' and more. Dawn and a Seawing walked into the ring. Beside me, Dusk and Wolf tensed. We had to get down there before she got hurt.

The battle began, and they circled each other. Burn called for more action, and the Seawing made a move. She leapt at Dawn, and then Dusk commenced Stage Three. Dusk threw a dragonflame cactus. Apparently he carried some with him at all times. Chaos ensued. The queens shouted for order, and the spectators ran like mad.

The two ambassadors jumped out a nearby window, and we swooped down to find Dawn. Wolf grabbed her and we escaped. We actually escaped! Before the guards noticed us, we found a cave and dove in.

Dusk was so happy, he tackled Dawn and kissed her. She blinked, surprised, but kissed him back. He broke away and said, "I was so worried it wouldn't work! I couldn't stand to lose you too." She hugged him hard.

I looked at Wolf, and he took my talons. "Stage Three completed." I smirked and nuzzled his cheek quickly. He blushed, and I walked over to Dusk and Dawn, before things could get too awkward. "I'm so glad you're okay, Dawn." She nudged me with her wing, replying," I can take care of myself...even though we have only know each other for three days, I will protect you all."

We smiled at her, and I felt more confident that we could make it. "So what do we do now? We have to get out of here, fast." I looked at Dusk, and he shrugged. "Maybe to the rainforest, like we planned? We shouldn't stay in war territory, especially now that we know we're a big deal." Dawn chimed in, with a strategic thought.

"Agreed." Wolf nodded, "But we should leave under the cover of night this time." He gestured to the sinking sun, only 10 or so minutes before dark. "I think we have enough time. " I stated, not wanting to risk being seen. So we waited.

Luckily, no searches came for us, and I guessed Dusk's plan had gone very well. The explosion would keep them occupied. Soon it was dark, and we flew out of the cave, sticking to the side of the mountain. We flew low and fast, then once we were out of the Skywing Kingdom, we shot up to the clouds.

In the dark of night, we reached the Rain Kingdom. Selecting a spot, a nice, comfy, clearing, we settled down and went to sleep. Well, everyone except me. I stayed up to guard. I wouldn't be able to sleep anyways. Visions of Scarlet, and the other queens evily grinning as they watched the disgusting battles, mixed into scenes of Wolf and Dawn and Dusk,and they turned into a bloody, horrifying tale. I must've fallen asleep, because soon Wolf was shaking me.

"Carmine? Wake up, are you okay?" I opened my eyes, and Wolf sighed. "You were crying out, and I thought something had happened." He helped me up. "I must've fallen asleep, and I then had this terrible nightmare..." He placed a wing around me. "D'you wanna talk about it?" I shook my head. _No I do not. I just want this to stop. I want peace in my life._

"Why don't you go sleep, and I'll take the watch from here." He squeezed me with his wing, and I crawled over to the others, sleeping soundly. I soon joined them, thankfully drifting into a dreamless slumber. Enough action for one day...

 **That was okay... I hope you liked it. Next one on the way, I'm just kinda going where this takes me. PM or comment suggestions!**

 **Wildly, Clearly**


	8. Chapter 8: Dawn and Dusk

**Sorry for the wait, I got held up with school. But here is a chapter! 1100 minimum this time.**

 **Can the gang finally relax, and have some well needed rest? Let's see!**

 **Dawn's POV**

I awoke in the morning, with sun gleaming on my back, and the bright colours of the rainforest around me. I blinked, and the memories of the night came rushing back. Escaping the arena, blowing it up, planning, and...Dusk's kiss... I looked at his snoring form and smiled. He saved us with that plan. "Hey, Dawn, how are you?" Wolf and Carmine waved me over to the other side of our clearing. "Are you feeling okay?" Carmine asked, as she nudged her wing with mine.

"I'm still a little shaken up, but we are safe now, and I feel relieved." I flared my wings to warm them up in the sunlight, and Wolf added, "Speaking of safe, Carmine and I were planning on building a fort of sorts. D'you think that's a good idea? He gestured to a crude drawing in the ground. It looked pretty good. Sturdy, yet relaxed, and would provide camouflage. I nodded. Suddenly, we heard a large growl. We turned around, expecting a savage animal or dragon. Instead, it was Dusk. His stomach was growling.

"Oh,sorry. I'm hungry. Good morning by the way!" Dusk grinned toothily, rubbing his stomach. Wolf snorted. "There's a mango tree over there, past that big log." Dusk nodded, and came back a few minutes later with some juicy, ripe mangoes . He peeled one with his claw, and offered the other one to me. "Thanks, I wonder what mangoes taste like?" I peeled the red and green skin off, and bit into it. "Mmmm!" I mumbled, juice dribbling down my jaw. Dusk offered some to the others, and we sat in silence, enjoying our peace. And our mangoes.

"So, we should start building a hut today. Get this place working." Dusk suggested, and we looked at him. _Seriously? Dusk, you need to wake up earlier. We already have a layout._ I smirked, "Dusk, we already have a plan. We just need to act on it." He sheepishly looked at the ground, and I poked him with a claw. "Aww, don't worry. You deserved some extra rest. You did good." He twined his tail around mine, and I blushed. "Hey lovebirds, we're still here!" Carmine reminded, laughing. "Look who's talking!" Dusk rebuked, and she shut up.

After breakfast, we split up to get this place cleared up. Wolf was in charge of clearing debris, Carmine, was in charge of the structure of the hut, and I was gathering food and water. Dusk just helped with Wolf, bringing sticks back to Carmine for her to use. By midday, we had a skeleton of a house, a stock of food, a source of water, and logs piled up to the side. After a break, for lunch, we would put the finishing touches on our new hideout. And then what? Who knew.

 **Dusk's POV**

After a delicious breakfast of mangoes, we set to work making a camp. A real one. Around noon, we had the basic structure of our hut, as well as a debris-free clearing. The hut was made of sturdy sticks, placed between two trees. It was secured with vines and leaves were covering it to provide camouflage. Dawn had gathered fruit, nuts and some tapir. She had also located a fresh-water stream, and was planning to re-direct it to the camp, so we wouldn't have to walk far into the rainforest.

We sat down in front of the hut. Dawn and Carmine talked technical with each other about the camp, and Wolf and I snacked on some tapir leg. "Well, it was pretty good day so far, we got a basic camp, food, water, and so far...no searches!" I sighed, tearing off a strip of meat. Tapir tasted pretty good. Not as good as roasted camel, but still good. _Don't think about home now, this is your home. But what does home even mean anymore?_ My thoughts swarmed my brain, and I zoned out until Wolf waved his tapir leg in my face. "You okay there Dusk?" I shook my head and smiled. "I'm fine." I pushed my ponders away for later, and finished my meat. Wolf and I swapped tales of our respective kingdoms, and I learned quite a bit. Even though we were allies, I didn't know much about Icewings. Wolf was a pretty interesting dragon.

Life was taking a turn for the better.

After Dawn and Carmine finished talking, and eating, we added to the hut. By the end of the day it was finished. It looked pretty good. Four banana leaf sleeping mats, bamboo shelves for storage, a bark map on the wall. Not exactly a palace, but it was enough. We dug a fire-pit and feasted on the rest of the tapir for dinner. After, we stored the leftover fruit on the shelves, and laid down by the glowing embers. The sun had begun to set, and we'd had a very productive day. Time for some relaxation.

"So what's next?" Wolf probed. Carmine resettled her wings. "Well, we can use those big logs for defence, and Dawn wants to re-direct that stream. Then we can talk about the arena business." She glanced around, and their were nods of agreement. "The quicker we become a real working team, the better." Dawn encouraged, and we grinned. We could do this.

The moons slowly rose, one half full, the other two quarter full. The fired slowly simmered,until it burned itself out. We sat in silence, speaking without words. The moonlight glinted off our scales, making us look like shiny gems. After a while, felt Dawn lean into me, and she drifted off to sleep. I wrapped my wing around her, and she sighed. Next thing I knew, Wolf had crawled to my other side, and soon Carmine was leaning against him. Wolf muttered something about "So...warm" and soon he and Carmine had drifted off. _So much for our sleeping mats. But this is better._

I stayed awake longer, enjoying the comfort of my new friends. Soon, I too fell asleep. The last thing I remember was resting my jaw on Dawn's neck. Wolf had his wing around Carmine, and Carmine was snoring loudly. Peace at last. I slipped into dreams of tapirs, flying into dragonflame cactuses.

 **Will the next day be the same? Or will our protagonists have to overcome yet another obstacle. It seems so hard to pick up and run, I wonder... Haha! I'll let you know, they are never going back to the war. Whelp, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! R and R!**

 **;P, Clearly**

 **P.S: Check out my poll!**


	9. Chapter 9: Dusk

**So, here is your next chapter. I won't go on today, I'll let you get to the story.**

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 **Dusk's POV**

"Mm, hey Dusk, *Yawn* d'you wanna help me with the stre-DUSK!" Dawn's voice shook me awake. I groggily opened my eyes, and yelped. I was laying on a woven net, surrounded by vibrant, colourful dragons. Dawn was beside me, tensed and ready to spring away. I got up, but stumbled, and the dragons came closer. "Careful, the sleeping darts are still wearing off." A bright green dragon steadied me, and as I got a closer look at him, I realized these dragons were Rainwings.

"What do you want with us? Who are you? And where are the others?!" Dawn demanded, and I guessed she was worried about more arena scenarios. I wa also wondering where Wolf and Carmine were. The green Rainwing turned his attention to Dawn, and his scales flushed blue. "There were no others. I'm Mangrove the Rainwing, and we just wanted to say hi. Visitors don't come often." He smiled as Dawn and I looked at each other, worried. _No others!? Then where are Carmine and Wolf?_ "So, what are you planning to do with us?" Dawn cocked her head as she spoke, taking in the Rainwings. You had to admit, they were kind of cool. "Oh, you know, give you a tour of our village, and we have to show you to the current queen, Grandeur." He smiled again, and turned a vibrant purple. "Hey Orchid, can you come help me lead these two to Grandeur?"

A female Rainwing padded over, and twined tails with Mangrove. "Of course!" Her scales were a mix of pink and purple, with some white here and there. We made our way over to a flowered hut, with Mangrove pointing out certain things along the way. I marvelled at the beauty of it, but I was a nervous wreck. This was not my idea of a good day. Hopefully this 'Queen Grandeur' dragon could help us. We stopped, as we'd arrived at the queen's hut.

"Hmm. There's no line today. That's strange.." Mangrove started, but Orchid waved him off. "It's nothing, why don't you go have some sun time. You've been too uptight lately." She kissed Mangrove, for a long time. It was kind of gross. After Mangrove left, she ushered us inside. A regal-looking Rainwing sat at the back of the room, draped in flowers. "Your Magesty, we would like some help." Dawn bowed and motioned for me to follow. Since the Sandwings didn't have a real queen right now, I'd never learned how to act around royalty.

The queen nodded. "Yes, most people come here for help. What do you need." Grandeur spoke casually, almost like she was bored. Dawn fidgeted, unsure of how to explain our situation. I jumped in. "Excuse me, Queen Grandma," Orchid and Dawn cringed, as Grandeur gasped. "We need help. We are outlaws, we just survived a near-death experience, and our friends are missing. So if you could help us, that would be great. Thanks and all that other camel dung." The hut was so silent, you could hear a beetle, walking on the wall. Grandm- Grandeur shifted. "Well, I never! You are one bold dragon. Reminds me of myself... Very well. I will help."

I breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment I thought the Queen would get angry. Dawn looked at me, with an expression that said, 'Close call, mister.' I smirked at her. I turned back to Grandeur. Orchid excused herself, and waved a tail. "First off, we need permission to stay in the rainforest. We have a small camp on the edge of the forest, and we need to know that we can stay there." I looked at her, with hopeful eyes. She nodded. "As long as you respect our community, and stay peaceful, you may stay wherever." I bowed. "Thank you."

Dawn stepped forward. "And, as a question, do you know if there is anything that could've taken hold of a Skywing and a Icewing? Mangrove says they weren't with us." She fiddled with her talons. _Mudwings have those sibling bonds, so Dawn must feel very distraught over Carmine and Wolf._ I twined my tail around hers, and she relaxed a little. "I'm sorry, but I know nothing of the sort." Dawn lowered her head. "Thank you anyways." She sighed, and we bowed once more. "Goodbye your Majesty." We exited the hut, and walked around for a bit, until Mangrove and Orchid bounded up to us. "Hi again! How was your audience with the queen?" Mangrove questioned as his scales turned a curious periwinkle.

"It was okay, we have permission to stay at our camp, and greet you all, but we don't know where our other outlaws are." Dawn looked down again, and Orchid comforted her, her scales a magenta colour. "Don't worry dear, you will find your friends." She took Dawn's talons, and smiled. "Sorry, I'm just worried." We thanked them for their kindness, and left the Rain Village. Now we had to find Wolf and Carmine. Hopefully they were safe. As we flew away from the village, I fretted. _Where could they possibly be?_

 **I'm sorry, but I had to cut this chapter short. It was more of a filler than a real one. But it did have some information. And I also left you on a little cliffhanger, so hang on readers! The Rainwings seem a little OOC, but they did just wake up from sun time.**

 **Happy Valentines! Clearly.**


	10. Chapter 10: Dawn and Dares

**Hi again! Since today's the tenth chapter, I'm holding a special event! Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope you continue. Exciting events coming up, I promise.**

 **Anyways, let's get to the chapter**

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 **Dawn's POV**

We had just finished looking around the rainforest, and were heading back to the camp, when a bright and swirly portal opened up and sucked me and Dusk inside. "What in three moons is happening!" He screeched as we tumbled through bright swirly stuff. "Oof!" With a thud, we landed on a cave floor, on top of each other.

"Dawn! Dusk!" A familiar voice exclaimed. Carmine. Wolf lumbered over to help us up, and we tackled them. "Where were you guys?" I asked, and they shook their heads. "We got captured, but we don't know who took us. Then a portal appeared, and a voice told us that after today, everything would go back the way it was. Us in the pitch black cell, you in the rainforest." Carmine stated grimly. "Well then let's get out of here!" Dusk raced over to the cave entrance, but was bounced back.

"Looks like we're stuck here." Dusk mumbled as he rubbed his shoulder. We waited around for a while, and told them of our adventure in the forest, and suddenly a voice shook the cave. "Truth or daaaare " it whispered, and Wolf got the idea to play it. "I'll start. Dusk, truth or dare?" He smiled mischievously. "Uh, truth." Dusk looked unsure. "What is the most embarrassing thing you've ever done." Dusk blushed. "Well..there was this one time I ran up a hugged a dragon, thinking it was my brother...but it was actually the General. I didn't train for days!" He smiled sheepishly, and Carmine snickered. "Sorry..but that's just too good." Dusk narrowed his eyes. "Well, then. Carmine! Truth or Dare?" Carmine was taken aback, but she quickly recovered. "Duh! Dare."

"Lick the wall for two minutes straight." He pointed to the moldy, wet cave wall. I shivered. "Yuck." Wolf agreed. "Psh, that's dragonet's play." She boldly stuck her tounge out at Dusk, then placed it on the wall. Her nose scrunched up in disgust, but she completed the dare. Pretty impressive, if you ask me. Carmine grimaced as she sat back down, and looked at me. "Dawn. Truth or dare." I sighed. "I'll go with truth." She thought of a while, then said, "If you had to save an old dragon, or a baby dragonet, who would you choose?" _Well, the old dragon has lived a long life, and the baby hasn't. But..._ My strategic mind went to work. After a while of thinking, I decided on the baby. "I would save the dragonet." Carmine nodded, and said, "It's your turn now." I grinned. "Truth or Dare, Wolf."

Wolf looked around. He looked like he wanted to do a dare, but then again, Carmine's dare was kinda gross. He closed his eyes, then opened them and decided, "Truth." Carmine shook her head. "Always choose dare." Wolf laughed. "Never!". I sighed. "Come on guys! Stop flirting!" They stared at me. "Like you're any different." We laughed for a while, and then got the game back on track. "Who would you rather be a prisoner to? Scarlet, Coral, or Blister?" I smiled, knowing it was a tough one. "Well, Scarlet would just put me in the arena, Coral's Palace is underwater, which I hate, so I guess Blister. But only by a sliver." We shuddered, thinking of the malicious Sandwing we'd battled too many times. Her Seawings were tough.

"Anyways, now what? We all got a turn, and the day's not over." Wolf pointed out the cave entrance. Then the voice came rushing back. " _You can goooooooo nowwwwwww."_ The portals appeared again, and sucked us in. "We will find youuuuuu!" I called as we were sucked back into the rainforest.

Back at our camp, we sat down by the ashes of our fire. "It's too late in the day, we can't search for them now." Dusk admitted as he stared longingly at where the portal once was. We sat there in awkward silence, until I spoke. "That truth or dare game, I think it's a scavenger game. It was kinda fun." Dusk nodded. "And know we know that Carmine and Wolf were kidnapped." I added. He twined his tail around mine. "I know we will find them. But since we can't today, how bout we fix up that stream?" I nodded, glad to get back to the hard work of building the camp.

We tramped to the stream, and I started to dig a trench for the freshwater to flow into. Dusk was unnaturally quiet, and I turned to ask him to came dog, when he pushed me into the stream! "Hey! That's not fair! I was doing all the work!" I tried to hit him with my tail, laughing, but he was already running away, dragging his snout through the dirt. The water flowed close behind, and I smiled. _What a joker._ We raced back to the camp, and soon we had a fresh water source. I dug a pit for the water to flow into, and Dusk washed his face off in it. "Yuck. Don't try that, Dawn. Dirt tastes bad." I laughed, nudging him. "Of course it does silly! But look, we made the water source." I was quite proud of it. Now we had a basic, working camp.

Late that night, after we ate a meal of mangoes, we sat by the fire again, chatting about the day, and our plans for tomorrow. As I looked around, something caught my eye. A scale. "Hey Dusk, come look at this!" I got up and howled him the scale. It was a Sandwing scale. I matched it to Dusk's but it was a different shade of yellow. It also had a small black tip. Sandwings had captured Wolf and Carmine. I looked at Dusk with wide eyes. "We have to find them. Now." He touched his snout to my cheek and nodded.

"Let's go." We took off, after smothering the fire. We flew through the starry sky, towards the Sand Kingdom. Right into the midst of battle.

 **Oh, I left you on another cliff. :P Hope you liked that** **little ToD game. It wasn't the funniest, but hey, it's truth or dare! It's unpredictable.**

 **To clarify a few things, the scale does not belong to Blister. Dawn and Dusk did not fly into a literal battle, it was a metaphor.**

 **Thanks for all the support! Ten chapters strong! Whoo hoo! Keep R and Ring!**

 **Daringly, Clearly**


	11. Chapter 11: Wolf

**Here's a new chapter! Enjoy, and sorry for the wait. It gets plot twisty now!**

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 **Wolf's POV**

 **(Before Truth or Dare)**

I woke up later that night, and looked around. Dawn and Dusk were sleeping, but Carmine was gone. I jumped to my feet, gently shaking off Dusk's wing. I checked in the hut, near the stream, and the surrounding area. The darkness made it hard to tell, but she wasn't there. _Nothing. Where could she be? Did someone take her?_ Then I remembered the one place I hadn't checked. The mango tree where we had stood gaurd last night. In the dark I stumbled to the tree, and there I found her, staring at the sky with her bright orange gaze. "Carmine?" I whispered, and she jumped.

"Wolf. I was just standing guard. I can't help but feel exposed and stalked." She turned back to the sky, and I sighed. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. "How about we do a quick aerial check, and then go back to the camp." I compromised, hoping she would agree. "Okay, fine. But only because you won't stop bugging me if I don't." She cracked a small, tired smile, and we took off into the late night sky.

We circled the camp area a few times, and then we started to head back. "See Carmine?" I reassured, " There's absolutely nothing to be worried about." I began to dive back down to the forest, but Carmine didn't follow me. I flapped back to her. "Wolf, look." She was pointing to a small campfire not to far from our camp. _Oh no,_ _they_ _found us!_ I gasped, and we silently flew back to the mango tree.

We crept towards the other campfire, alert and ready. But then I cracked a stick, and the other dragons heard. "Who goes there?" one called, and we tried to back away, but we were too late. A Sandwing came forward, and growled. "Vulture, Basilisk, Ibis, get over here! I found the traitors!" He spat and leaped at us.

As he sprang, I looked at Carmine. We had to let ourselves be taken. _We can't let them se_ _e Dusk and Dawn_. So we let the four Sandwing soldiers bind us, and haul us away. Carmine had some difficulty with her captors, and lashed her head as we took off, scraping one with her horn. The Sandwing cursed as a scale fell off. In her anger, she grazed her barb against Carmine's flank. The poison acted quickly, and Carmine fell unconscious. "Lizard skins! Vulture, now we have to treat her! General Saguaro might want answers! We can't have dead prisoners!" The first Sandwing hissed at Vulture.

 _Genreral Saguaro?! Maybe it's another dragon. Because I'm pretty sure Dusk said Saguaro had...died._

I was in a complete state of shock. Carmine was unconscious, Dusk's brother might be the Sandwing General, and we had been taken captive. Not my idea of the best day.

Soon, we had reached the area where Blaze had her military. They took me to a cell, and dragged Carmine away to an infirmary. I resisted the urge to go after her. Two of the Sandwings that had taken us stood guard, a small, pale one that I assumed was Ibis, and the leader, a tall, dirty yellow one named Sizzle. I sat in the cell, worrying. _Is Carmine gonna be okay? What about Dawn? Or Dusk? And the General, Saguaro? Oh no._ I held my head in my talons, shivering with exhaustion and fear. The heat was no help either. Sizzle looked at me and grunted. "Get him some aloe, Ibis." He jerked his head towards a barrel, and Ibis scuttled over. She tossed a few thick leaves through the bars, and sneered.

I spread the thick, cooling gel over myself, and it soothed my scales and mind. Soon I slipped into a restless half-sleep.

A while later, something woke me. Carmine was shoved into the cell, a furious air about her. The other two Sandwings switched shifts, and Sizzle, along with Ibis, left. "We'll get the General." Sizzle spat as they walked away. The other two, Vulture and Basilisk, stood guard, grumpily. Before Carmine could lash out at our captors again, I embraced her. "You're okay!" I murmured into her shoulder, and she relaxed. "I guess I am." We stood there for a bit, until Vulture snapped, "Enough of the sappy stuff!" Basilisk smirked and spat at the cell. _Why did we get the mean ones?_ But we had other things to worry about.

Vulture and Basilisk snapped to attention, as three pairs of talons clacked against the sandstone floor. "Lieutenants Vulture, Basilisk." General Saguaro nodded briskly to our guards, and they scurried off. Vulture cast a sneer back at us, and I narrowed my eyes at her patterned form as it faded away. Saguaro leaned in closer and flicked his tounge. "Where are they!?" he growled. "Where are who?" I casually asked, inspecting my talons. Carmine hid her giggle. "You know what I mean. THE OTHER TWO DRAGONS WITH YOU! I highly doubt you'd survive a day in the desert." He spat, and I cringed. He leaned closer, until his snout was pressing through the bars. "Where. Are. Your. Companions." He hissed.

 _What do I say?_

Saguaro suddenly turned and walked away. "They'll be properly questioned later. Let them sleep." Sizzle and Ibis nodded, and saluted his receding form. I was puzzled at Saguaro's behaviour, but the exhaustion was overwhelming. I laid down, and Carmine did too. We slept, if only for a little bit.

 **After Truth or Dare**

"I swear on my last camel they're gone!" As Carmine and I were transported back to the cell, two dragons were walking our way. They stopped in front of us. Vulture and Saguaro. Vulture sputtered and stammered. "They...but..ugh!" She strode over to a corner and glowered. "Vulture, come. We're taking these two to the interrogation room."

 _They have a whole room for interrogations? No wonder Blaze is a popular choice, she has a functioning military._ These thoughts ran through my head as the Sandwing General unlocked the cell and ushered us out. But what I really wanted to know was why and what. _What is his motive? Why is he alive? What will he do?_ I reached for Carmine's tail for comfort. She twined it around mine, a glint in her eyes. I couldn't tell if was determination or anger. Maybe a mix of both.

We were led to a small room, with a stone table and a few seats. Saguaro took a seat at the head of the table, and we sat on the opposite end. Vulture waited outside, to her displeasure. As Saguaro sat down, he softened his gaze and relaxed his posture. "Is Dusk okay?" He whispered, and I realized what was going on. Carmine opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a howl. "SKYWING ATTACK!"

 **I know, I'm evil. But I hope you liked that chapter! What is Saguaro's true motive? Does he want to be free of the war? Will he help our gang? Can Dusk and Dawn sneak in? Will the SkyWings be an issue? Who knows!**

 **Tell me what you think in the reviews!**

 **Evily, Clearly.**

 **P.S My poll closes on Sunday, so VOTE!**


	12. Chapter 12: Dawn

**I was stuck on this one for a while...But let me tell you, I'm going down with this story. Thanks for staying with me so far, I feel great that some people like my writing.**

 **Hope you like it!**

 **Dawn's POV**

We landed in a dark corner of Blaze's military base. "This way!" Dusk hissed, "I know my way around!" He slunk into the shadows, and I followed him through a maze of crates. We reached a entranceway, and after checking if the coaster was clear, we snuck in. _I don't like this. We should have just hidden ourselves somewhere we could never be found. This isn't fun. NO, don't doubt yourself now, you're all in it up to here._ I argued with myself, not knowing what to do.

Dusk stopped abruptly, and I bumped into him. "What's the holdup?" I whispered. I was anxious to get to Carmine and Wolf. He put a talon to his lips, and pointed towards two soldiers, walking down the halls. They were chatting with each other. We fled into a side hallway, and waited in the shadows. "Ya think those prisoners are gonna get it, Ibis?" The taller one queried, and the female one replied, in a calm voice, "The General can do what he pleases. I don't give a camel's leg about all this. Blaze and all her advisors can spend the rest of their days tapestry weaving for all I care." She shrugged and turned a corner. The other Sandwing followed, saying, "This war is a load of camel spit, for sure. I'm just in it for the wages." Their voices faded away, and Dusk nodded. _All clear_.

We tip-taloned through the halls. Luckily, there were no more run-ins with soldiers. We came to a stop in a side room. It was the prison. But it was empty. The only thing in the cell was a pair of shredded aloe leaves. Dusk cursed. "Where could they be?" I fretted, looking around. Dusk straightened. "The interrogations room." He muttered. I could tell the situation was getting to him too. We hurried back to the long hallway, searching for the interrogations room. All the while, I was thinking, _Seems like everyone is tired of this pointless fighting._

Dusk had just spotted the room up ahead, when a howl rang though the halls. "SKYWING ATTACK!" Dragons scrambled everywhere, battle ready. I ducked into a empty room, and Dusk followed me. As the SandWing military swarmed the halls, we quivered in the room, praying for Carmine and Wolf. Talons clicked outside of the door. Dusk wrapped a wing around me. The door opened, and the light blinded me as a voice hissed, "In here. I have to cover." As two dragons were herded in, the sounds of dragons clashing rang in my ears. The door closed and everything was dark again.

Beside me, Dusk stiffened. But before I had a chance to question him, one of the other dragons gasped. "Dusk? Dawn?"

It was Wolf. I answered. "Yes, it's us! Are you guys okay? What happened?" There was a shuffling sound, and a small plume of fire was expelled from Carmine, lighting a torch. I smiled. They were here. Wolf looked a little worse for the wear, but if we could escape once, we could do it again. After a moment of hushed greetings, Dusk spoke up. "Who was that dragon that sent you in?" A silence fell over Carmine and Wolf. "His..name was..Saguaro..." Carmine informed, albeit tentatively. _Wait, Dusk's supposedly dead brother!?_ My mind reeled as Dusk stumbled backwards. I steadied him with my wing.

"But..but, I SAW HIM DIE! Saguaro is DEAD!" He blubbered, close to tears.

Wolf stepped forward as I comforted him. "Dusk, he is the SandWing General...but we think he is covering for something." Wolf murmured, and Dusk shook his head. "I can't take it. Why is it so HARD!?" He broke down and shivered. I pulled my tail around him. "Shh...Dusk, just rest." I soothed, and he nodded. _Oh moons. This is becoming more complicated by the hour!_

"So, what makes you think Saguaro is...a double agent?" I queried, determined to find my way out of these muddy connections and questions. Carmine shrugged.

"When we were in the cell, he came and started talking to us. Then he asked where his brother was. Before we could answer or anything, he turned and walked away. We still don't know why. Then, he came back and took us to a interrogations room. We thought he would be all mean and snappy, but he was trying to help us, I think. But we couldn't do any talking, because the the SkyWings attacked."

Carmine closed her mouth, and I nodded. _I'm still confused._

"But that Skywing attack is just...a normal skirmish, right? They're not looking for us." Wolf asked nervously, and Carmine nudged him. "Trust me, if they were looking for us, we'd already be found. We just have to find a way to sneak out."

"But what about Saguaro?" I added, "we can't just leave without answers!" From the floor, Dusk groaned. "I can get us out of here. I need to get away from all this."

"But how?" Carmine asked, "There is a battle going on, in case you haven't noticed. "

I shot her a glare. Dusk slowly got up. "Carmine and I will cover for you and Wolf, then after you've gotten out, we'll follow." Another sound plan from the SandWing. I nodded.

"Good plan. Let's meet at that small oasis, over near the Rain Kingdom." I added, and everyone nodded.

Dusk closed his eyes, gathering himself, and then opened the door. He immediately began to fake-fight Carmine, while Wolf and I quickly scurried to a side exit. We hurried out the door, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"We're safe." Wolf murmured, and I nodded, breathless. "Let's head to the oasis now." I said, and we took off.

I cast a quick glance back, hoping to see Carmine or Dusk. But there was only the suffocating darkness. But in a way, it was good. The dark provided cover, and it was much cooler out here than inside. I peeked at Wolf, who was looking much better.

Squinting, I could make out the shape of the oasis. I steered Wolf towards it. Now all we had to do was wait.

 **Suspense!**

 **Well, you'll just have to wait... :3**

 **R and R!**

 **Thoughtfully, Clearly.**


	13. Chapter 13: Carmine

**Well, I Have done it.**

 **After a month or two, I found a way to tie everything up. C:**

 **And, just to stress; I'm really grateful for all your support. (::) The gang loves you too!**

 **ONWARDS! Enjoy!**

 **?**

 **Carmine's POV**

Dusk and I waged a fake battle, providing cover for the other two. After giving them plenty of time to escape, we dashed to an exit. The sounds of battle went on, and it brought painful memories to my head. "C'mon, we gotta get there quick!" Dusk hissed impatiently, and I knew he wasn't just fearing for our safety.

He was thinking about his brother.

We slipped out of the facility, and glided through the cool, still night. "I think it's this way!" Dusk veered to the right, and I followed blindly. _He knows his way around here, right?_

Apparently not. We ended up near a camel ranch. "Dusk..." I couldn't stop a grin forming on my face.

"Yeah, I know, I know. Let's just get back to them, okay?" He flared his wings, and flapped off again, this time in the opposite direction. Finally, I could make out an oasis in the dark. The moonlight reflected off the water, casting a sliver glow on the three dragons around it. I did a double-take. _Three!?_ The gears in my head clicked. _Saguaro._ He'd escaped too. As we flew closer, I was ready to finally get some _real_ answers, but one glance at Dusk, and you could tell he was not.

 _But it must be hard, having everything you've believed fall to pieces at your talons._

I nudged him mid-flight as we prepared to land. He stumbled in flight and turned his attention toward me. "Hey. You can't run from the rain. You gotta dance in it." I murmured. He nodded, and we dove down, landing in the middle.

"You guys made it out okay!?" Dawn looked up from where she was tending to a gash in Saguaro's shoulder, relief etched on her snout, and Wolf clambered out of the oasis pond where he had been cooling off. He immediately came over and engulfed us in a hug, which we promptly squirmed out of. "Wet, wet, wet!"

"Oops, I should probably dry off." Wolf smiled, shaking off beads of water.

I shook my head. "Yes, Dawn, we got out okay, but somebody got us lost..." I glared at Dusk. He shrugged half-heartedly. His expression was stoic.

"Dusky?" Saguaro stood up, keeping the weight off his right arm. Dusk stared st the bigger SandWing in shock, like he couldn't believe he was real. "Dusky I-" he was cut off by Dusk.

"Don't call me that. Give me answers. Where did you go? I thought you were dead. You left me here all alone, giving me no support. Maybe if you'd have shown yourself, we wouldn't be here right now." His eyes were filled with anger and despair. Dawn reached for his tail, but he swished it away.

It was silent for a moment. Saguaro lowered his head. I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. I'd done the same to Torch, and my soldiers.

"In the explosion, I lost you. Couldn't find you. A SkyWing guard found me instead, and took me back to prison. I stayed there for around four months, until I found the right time to escape. Heading back to the Sand Kingdom, it hit me. Everyone thought I was dead."

At this, Dusk closed his eyes. "Go on." Dawn encouraged, and Saguaro continued.

"So I snuck around, lying low. Until I ran into Prickle, one of Blaze's close advisors, and my old...friend. She recognized me."

I leaned closer, enrapt. But as I did, the sandy ground suddenly rushed up to meet me, and I let out a yelp as I was swallowed by the tiny, golden grains and fell through the shifting sands, fell down, down, down. _W-what is happening?!_

As I turned furiously in the sand, trying to get back to my companions, a voice echoed through the nightmarish fall.

* * *

"Carmine! Carmine! CarMINEEE!" Rough talons shook me, and I stopped panicking, opening my eyes—which had been shut...?—and then, after one look around, I started screaming again.

Torch shook me harder. "CARMINE! Snap out of it!" He glared at me, and I immediately shut my snout. My orange second-in-command sat beside me, and I realized I was lying on my stone ledge-bed.

 _Wait a minute..._

I closed my eyes as Torch relaxed his grip on me. "You were having some sort of terrible dream, Commander." he told me, and before I could react, murmurs of agreement broke troops.

 _So I'm back home. Oh, what a relief. It was all a dream! Thank the moons._ I opened my eyes and smiled widely. A solider looked at me funny. "Are you okay, Commander?" I nodded, looking around at all the familiar faces.

"Yes, I am. It was just a dream."

Torch narrowed his eyes, but shrugged. "Well, we'll leave you to yourself now, uh... Get me if you need anything," he said. I just nodded again, too busy soaking up my relief. Torch and the troops traipsed out of my cave, and I was left to myself.

 _I never deserted my tribe. I never left home. I didn't travel around with random dragons. And I didn't fall in love either. I can't believe that dream-me liked that infuriating IceWing. I can't believe dream-me even did any of that. I would never, ever go against my Queen and tribe like that,_ _I am Commander Carmine!_

 _I'm so glad it was just a dream._

 _Must've been that extra spicy goat I ate last night, that gave me this dream._

I sighed and streched out on my ledge, deciding to rest for a while more before I got everyone ready for any battles we would need to fight. Yawning, I closed my eyes and let all the memories of my insane dream slip away.

 **Oh yes. I just did that. I got y'all good :p**

 **Hahahahahaaaa. XD**

 **What did you think of that? Review and tell me!**

 **And, don't worry, there's more to come. Thank you, and good day/night!**

 **Unexpectedly, Clearly**


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